CHEAP MEAT MERCHANT.

NZ Truth, Issue 110, 27 July 1907, Page 6

CHEAP MEAT MERCHANT.

A Sidelight on a Sausage Factory. _______ > The questions of cheap meat and a possible defect m the Shops and Offices Act were ventilated before Magistrate Riddell m Wellington Ma-i gistrate's Court yesterday, when Jno, Victor, -.butcher, of Vivian-street, wag charged with keeping his place of business open after 9 p.m., on Saturday, July 13, m defiance of the requisition signed by a majority of the butchers and presented by the Minister for Labor m April of last year.

Inspector Lindsay said that the requisition appeared, m the Gazette on April 15, and it fixed the hours of closing on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays at 5.30 p.m., on Saturdays at 9 p.m. Everything possible bad been done to convince Victor that ha should close at the hours mentioned, but be bad persisted m keeping open. When Lindsay, first visited Victor, the butcher, said he had no desire to close, and was going to" fight the case. The Inspector 'advised him not to be foolish. On* thc following day Victor saw Mr Tregear and ■ himself and obtained a copy of the requisition, but this did not prevent him keeping open on t : he 13th. Albert Henry Cooper, Secretary to the Butchers' Union, stated that on the date m question ,ho bad been m tbe vicinity of Victor's shop between the hours of 8.55 and 9:35,* and saw a number of people enter the shop. and obtai-n parcels of meat. Mr Wilford : I believe you butchers have -made a target of this man far some time ? — Not that I am aware of. . You bad him up before the Arbi-. tratio-n Court ?— No, bis_ employer. Are you aware that Victor sella meat cheaper than the other but-* chers ?— Yes, I am aware of it. And' 'that thereat ofthe butchers comibined to shut bim up ?— Not to % my knowledge. . - Were not instructions .given to ■£. aian named Tucker not to cut up a^j* more sausa-ge meat for Victor -becausa he was selling sausages at 3d per lb instead of 4d ?■>— l didn't knowTucker Was working fdr'him. You, as secretary to ibe Butchers* Union, like to see cheap meat for the the people, don't you ?— Yes, certainly.' Do you remember last year writing a letter to the Government Department condemning Victor FOR AUCTIONING -CHEAP MEAT? —There were several persons auctioning cheap meat. . 3 . Do you deny that Victor was one. of them ?— No. Witness said, further, that he had not seen any money pass' on ihe night of the 13th. inspector Lindsay was also on watch on the night m question aridsav/ a number of people enter and get meat. Tbe door was merely: closed from 9.10 to 9.30, after which it was locked. and Victor admittedthe customers. The Inspector entered at 9.45, when there were a number of people m tbe shop. Victor remarked that the. door was closedLindsay replied that tlie re would be. trouble. Whereupon Victor retorted that he didn't care as the case would be a good advertisement fot him. Mr Wilford raised two points : (1> That it was necessary that notice of the requisition should be sehi; to the butcher. In this case tbe notice was sent, but it stated, that tber requisition bad been lodged on ApriL 3, 1906, whereas tbe information fixed the date at April 5. (2) The front door of thie shop was also the- en- j | trance to the sausage factory at tha [back, and under section 17 of tha ! Shops and Offices Act it was sufficient for the purposes of the. Act that the door should be closed and no-b---locked. Victor was not r barged with, j selling, but with keeping .bis premise^ open. He called

Joseph Victor, who said that h« sold meat at cheaper rates than any other butcher, and bad .earned tha displeasure oc others m the trade on that account. A man named Tuckerused to chop sausages for Victor,; and these were retailed, by the butcher at 3d instead of the usual -ki pe_p lb- Tucker discontinued supply inghim with chopped meat, and v.-h?'n. asked for an explanation said ho had! been requested not to do so, on account of' Victor's cheap prices. Victor then installed a plpnt. There was one entrance (throueh tbe front door) to the shop and factory. Tha people found by Lindsay m the shop were friends and were not serve-d with meat. Mr Lindsay : Is the factory registered ?— I decline to answer. Do you call it a factory ?— I decline to answer. His Worship: You must answer. — Yes. I would tali it a factory. Is it registered ? His Worship : You must answer .«=» No, it is not, registered. Mr Wilford : There is a different defence, to that side of the case. Inspector Lindsay held that it was not necessary to _.end notice of tbe registration to Victor, although it. had been done ; so that the date (April 3) mentioned m that notice was not material. Further, he considered that a sausage manufactory! that had not been registered was | not a factory. ! Mr Wilford contended that the mere fact of it, being unregistered did not. make it no factory ; otherwise the inspector could not proceed acainsfc' the owner for failing to register. Magistrate Riddell reserved his decision.